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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2018 | Volume
: 4
| Issue : 1 | Page : 48-49 |
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Homepage to distribute the digital anatomy contents
Beom Sun Chung, Min Suk Chung
Department of Anatomy, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, Korea
| Date of Web Publication | 18-May-2018 |
Correspondence Address:
Min Suk Chung
Department of Anatomy, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499
Korea
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/digm.digm_7_18
How to cite this article:
Chung BS, Chung MS. Homepage to distribute the digital anatomy contents. Digit Med 2018;4:48-9 |
Dear Editor,
The role of International Society of Digital Medicine and the journal Digital Medicine is getting more and more important, as digital technologies such as mobile devices, three-dimensional (3D) printing, and virtual reality are rapidly improved. In terms of anatomy to learn human morphology, the technologies are mandatory for the 3D models of body structures. A thing not to be neglected is that the 3D models should be accompanied by the stories to efficiently explain them.
What we would like to introduce is our Internet homepage (anatomy.co.kr) involving the following digital anatomy contents which have been elaborated and presented free of charge.[1]
The first is Visible Korean products including the serial sectioned images and segmented images of cadavers and their resultant volume and surface models. Unlike the existing 3D models that are manually drawn based on the anatomy knowledge, the 3D models that are reconstructed based on the actual cadavers reveal the minute structures and their actual color. All the images and models can be downloaded in the form of browsing software packages and portable document format files. As an application, the surface models are used for the digital anatomy examination.[2]
The second is various comics that account for anatomy. The learning comic “Anna and Tommy” elucidates basic systemic anatomy,[3] whereas the comic strip “Dr. Anatophil” introduces hundreds of anatomy mnemonics and humor. Dozens of scientific articles on Visible Korean and the comics are obtainable from the homepage.
Furthermore, the comics have been accompanied by schematic drawings and logical explanations to yield an electronic book, freely distributed on the same site. The book entitled “Memory Booster of Regional Anatomy” contains concise contents and mnemonics to promote memorization by medical students. The comics and schematic drawings in the book are like the rough map of the human body, while the 3D models from the Visible Korean are like the actual map of the human body. In other words, the simple drawings are like anatomy lecture, while the 3D models are like anatomy laboratory.
Through the experience of manufacturing the various digital contents, we have realized the importance of analog anatomy. In producing the authors' 3D models, the individual structures are outlined on paper with pencils, before the digital segmentation is performed. The anatomy comics are made from hand-drawn rough sketch and repetitive amendments on paper. The schematic figures of the anatomy book are derived from the plenty of board lectures by the authors. The digital anatomy originating from the analog anatomy is expected to enhance the learning effect of the contents.[4]
The digital contents for medical learning should be produced and distributed, not only by anatomists but also by other medical professionals. It is hoped that more useful pedagogic contents are introduced in the Digital Medicine journal to contribute to the future of medicine.
Acknowledgment
This research was financially supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, through the International Cooperative R&D program (Grant number: N0002249).
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Chung BS, Chung MS. Homepage to distribute the anatomy learning contents including visible Korean products, comics, and books. Anat Cell Biol 2018;51:7-13.  |
| 2. | Park JS, Chung BS, Chung MS. Digital anatomy using the surface models in portable document format file for self-learning and evaluation. Digit Med 2017;3:133-7. [Full text] |
| 3. | Kim J, Chung MS, Jang HG, Chung BS. The use of educational comics in learning anatomy among multiple student groups. Anat Sci Educ 2017;10:79-86. |
| 4. | Shaffer K. Teaching anatomy in the digital world. N Engl J Med 2004;351:1279-81. |
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